January 2010

January 31, 2010

Click the following link for an entertaining video. The battle between economic theories is both interesting and tragic. Strangely, after the theories of Keynes were totally debunked, they have somehow roared back into the main thanks to President Bush and Obama. This humorous but accurate video explains both sides very clearly. In case you're wondering, Hayak has it right. Enjoy!

January 27, 2010

Leadership is an odd thing. It is better “caught than taught.” Still, authors like Orrin Woodward and myself still labor to teach it the best we can. Often, in the course of doing so, we call upon illustrations of leaders both historical and contemporary who have demonstrated worthy leadership characteristics. There is a problem with this approach, however, one that goes beyond the obvious disclaimer that all humans are flawed and no one can truly serve as a perfect example of leadership. The bigger problem with this approach is that, often, high-profile and/or famous leaders also exhibit some really poor qualities.

For instance: Abraham Lincoln may be known for strong war-time leadership, preserving the union, and freeing the slaves, but he also ushered in America’s first dose of federal Income Tax, ran nearly his entire Presidency above the law and in violation of the Constitution, launched a fiat money system, and saddled the young country with a debt 100 times its previous peak.

Or take Winston Churchill: he is generally known for standing in the gap in “Britain’s finest hour” and staunchly defying Hitler, mobilizing the English language and sending it into battle, but there is also strong evidence that he baited the Germans into sinking passenger ships and thereby pulling the United States into the war.

Finally, consider George Washington: he is credited with throwing off the shackles of English tyranny and shepherding the young Unites States onto proper footing in its years of infancy; but he also led an army of the government against its very own citizens to put down a tax revolt.

Do these obvious concerns detract from the strong leadership characteristics for which these leaders have come to be known? Maybe. They do, however, illuminate the challenge with attempting to teach a changeless principle using the illustration of high-profile human examples.

Where else should one look, then, for effective examples of honorable and effective leadership in motion?

The answer to this question gets to the root of our book, Launching a Leadership Revolution, in which we claim that effective leadership can be found at all levels of human endeavor, not simply at the top. In fact, it is likely that the most impressive, contributory, productive, purpose-driven examples of true leadership are to be found in relative obscurity.

Take for instance the so-called “do nothing” presidents of the United States; the Franklin Pierces, the Grover Clevelands, the Gerald Fords. These men didn’t earn the high mantle of fame, the high prominence of academic admiration, nor the widespread remembrance of a thankful people, rather, they receive an obligatory earmark mention, at best, in lists of presidents. But is it not true that these men, and the many more like them, managed to continue the ship of state chugging along in its course, successfully avoiding expensive and fatal conflict with other nations, allowing its citizens a respite of high-profile heroics and providing instead a period of peace and prosperity, where families were free to live in freedom and go about their business uninhibited by the intrusion of a nationalized government agenda?

So much for presidents, whom, no matter how unrenowned, could still be argued to be high-profile. But further down into the depths of obscurity are the everyday “common people,” those working and living “in the trenches.” What of these? Represented in this group are fathers leading a family, mothers nurturing children, workers dependably running the engines of industry, small business owners expanding the economy, and servicemen and women standing at the ready? I would suggest that it is here, far away from the limelight, where true leadership can best be observed.

For heroes of leadership, many of us need look no further than our own parents or grandparents. Some of us have seen it brilliantly embodied at work or at church, or in some community involvement. True leadership can be found anywhere excellence resides. And it doesn’t take a “national hero” to fit the mantle. It takes an individual of character charged with a deep desire to fulfill his or her potential by “making things better.” Anywhere someone is doing that, they are providing a case study in leadership.

Do you long for heroes? Do you appreciate good examples ? Then look around. They can be found everywhere in the quiet passage of daily life, in the schools, the shops, the banks, the meeting rooms, the churches, and even sometimes in government offices (believe it or not).

But a better place to look is within. Become your own best example. No one may ever know all you did to make things better and contribute your gifts to positive change, but notoriety is no measure of contribution, anyway. A life lived on purpose with an admirable purpose is the real measure, in which you fulfill your God-given calling with all your might.

And who knows. Maybe someone will notice, send it to this blog, and we’ll make you famous!

January 25, 2010

Okay, okay, two bits of information you need to know about this video before you watch it:

#1. I was "Double Dog Dared" to post it! (Don't say I don't have guts!)

#2. It is not appropriate (in some small ways) for children.

Also, this will certainly be controversial.

However, the ugly truth of the results of well-intentioned but ignorant, pie-in-the-sky government distortions in what used to be a free society must be graphically considered. Freedom leads to prosperity, while regulation leads to poverty. The more we allow government handouts, meddling, programs, control, rules and regulations, special deals, special interests, organized looters, and their ilk to control our nation's policies, the more we can expect of the type of results we see in this video.

January 24, 2010

There is one sure-fire route to a wasted life: measure yourself and your efforts according to the standards of this world. In other words, focus on the physical, the temporal, and the unimportant.

Too many times when tragedies or calamities occur, people rush to God with anger or rejection, as though our fallen human interpretation of events can somehow be more just or righteous than God's. On the contrary, during times other than difficult ones, people become seduced by the shiny objects of distraction and pleasure which are so abundant in this life.

But suffering or success cannot be measured according to any of the standards of this world. If this life is all there is, then the suffering around us and in us can only be seen as unfair, as it rains on the just and the unjust alike. If this life is all there is, then material possessions and physical gratification are a mean trick which not only fall short of the pleasures they promise to bring, but rob us of the happiness that sent us off in pursuit of them in the first place.

People have always demanded justice in this world, only to discover it an exercise as constructive as grasping at smoke. People have likewise consistently pursued pleasure, only to find it a mirage the promises refreshment but leaves one thirsting for the real thing. What we find is that our physical perspective leaves us short of the mark every time and in every case.

Then how is one to properly interpret events? What value system accurately measures our lives?

The answer is one that we don't always want to hear, but deep down inside, we know it is what we really need and have actually been seeking all along: the proper perspective is a spiritual one.

If we measure our success not according to the treasures of this world, but according to those we have laid up in heaven, we will have little concern for the ups and downs of our own material situations. If we interpret suffering with an understanding of our eternal position in God's plan, knowing that to live is Christ and to die is gain, we will remember that there may be no justice in this life, but on the judgment day justice will be meted out each according to his own.

That last part, however, should scare us! True justice? Is that really what we want?

Again, we can only answer in the affirmative if we use a worldly, physical value system that somehow attributes more virtue to us than to others. But the Bible is clear that ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. None are righteous, no not one. If we really demand justice, we will be just as susceptible to its punishments as everyone else.

From a spiritual perspective, however, God reveals to us that He is merciful. Although He is entirely just, and promises that it is appointed to each man once to die, and then the judgment, He also has a plan for salvation to those who walk according to the spirit and not according to the flesh. Yes, He will spare those that lived their lives for Him, in the name of Jesus Christ, rather than living it for themselves. In that day we shall find, that those who sought to save their lives (through living for self and becoming consumed in a material world, measuring themselves with the yardstick of worldly values) will lose them, while those who lost their lives (through living for Christ and serving others, measuring themselves with the yardstick of eternal life and spiritual truth) will gain them.

It is a comparison of a fleeting, physical perspective to an eternal, spiritual one.

Be sure that you are using the correct standard when measuring your life.

January 23, 2010

It's an age of busyness, cluttered schedules, and scurried days. We rush around in a constant race, hardly noticing the passing of our youth, the setting of the sun, or the growth of our children. We are so busy, busy, busy, loaded down with more "time saving devices" than any generation before, with better and bigger and fancier watches than ever, with time-management techniques and consultants, and everything we need to live a totally miserable life.

Happiness

But happiness doesn't come solely through achievement. It is the result of time invested, not spent, in the important parts of life. Solitude, thinking, praying, loving, sharing, serving, and yes - resting are critically important to the health of the soul and a contented perspective.

But what about Peformance?

The person who understands how to prioritize, who has made time for the truly important things in life, who refuses to be enslaved by the urgent, is more effective, and generally achieves higher levels and sustains it over the long haul. The key question is: "What's important next?" There is a time to perform, a time to work hard, a time to run fast, and a time to exert full effort toward a goal. Nothing feels better than giving 100% toward a worthy goal, being "In the Zone" and maximizing potential. But pinnacle performance cannot come to someone who is burned out and frazzled. It only comes to those who also mix in a little "living" along with their "striving."

The Art of Doing Nothing

By the way, if you're lazy, I'm not even talking to you. Generally, lazy people don't read blogs like mine, if they read blogs at all! I'm talking to all you high-potential achievers out there. When is the last time you stopped and looked at the cloud formations in the sky? Or smelled the salt air of the ocean, or felt the crisp chill of a mountain breeze coming down the canyon with a rumbling stream? When did you last sit in a chair without your cell phone on you? For that matter, when is the last time you were more than five feet away from your phone? When is the last time you took an entire day away from any Internet or computers or phones or television? Most importantly, when is the last time you got away by yourself for a moment and had some quiet? When is the last time you prayed for more than two seconds, and other than over a meal? When is the last time you just sat and thought? When is the last time you pondered your life's purpose? What is the longest span of time you've listened to your children, uninterrupted?

I understand questions like these are obnoxious. But they should make us stop and think. And therein lies the point of my article: STOP. The faster our world goes in its ever-increasing race toward the hectic, the more important it is for us to just stop. Believe it or not, there is power in doing nothing. It is an art.

Watch the elderly and their lack of hurry. Observe children and their total obliviousness to the passage of time. We can learn much from both.

Trust me. Small moments of respite are a salve to the soul. Want to maximize your performance in the race of life? Of course, we all do. But to go forward faster you're going to have to learn to stop more completely and more often. You're going to have to master the Art of (seemingly) doing nothing.

January 22, 2010

To further the conversation from yesterday's video regarding the care and feeding of the goose that lays the golden eggs, I thought it might be helpful to summarize the main point. In essence, there are two uses for your money. One is productive and one is wasteful (and possibly even destructive).

Productive spending of money is actually not spending at all, but rather investing.

Non-productive spending of money is consumption.

The difference between the two lies in what is accomplished by the outgo of your (I'm assuming) hard-earned money. The key question is: does that outgo result in a return, or is it gone forever?

At all times, but especially when economic times are tough, spending should be done strategically to minimize the amount that goes to waste and maximize the amount that goes to something productive. Again, productive means it is building your wealth by being placed into something of value, something that "cash flows," something that brings back more dollars.

I belabor these seemingly simple points because I find that financial intelligence is an extreme rarity. It seems few people have ever been taught that money has a purpose beyond its use toward their immediate comfort and gratification. As a result, people making a six figure income have spent themselves into oblivion and have nothing to show for it. Incredible.

Difficult financial environments in which the economy slackens, the dollar declines in value, jobs become scarce, salaries go down, overtime is retracted, concessions are demanded, etc. only serve to emphasize the point and amplify poor habits. When these winds blow, the sloppy and financially ignorant (or consumptively addicted) are exposed. This is where panic sets in, and cutbacks in spending are made violently. The trouble is, most people cut back in the productive areas, too. They have wasted so much money and gotten themselves into so much trouble financially that they can no longer (or will no longer) put money into feeding the goose that lays the golden eggs. As millionaire financial advisor Todd Tresidder stated, "Those with credit card debt and too many bills are more committed to their lifestyle rather than to building wealth."

The financially mature understand that the golden goose must be fed no matter what. This means during the good times, when consumptive addiction and wasteful spending are at their most tempting. It also means during the tough times, when panic sets in and constrictive cutbacks are rushed to like rats fleeing a sinking ship. It is the discipline to use money productively and predominantly that separates the wealthy from the rest (with the exception of second-generation wealth-holders, whom we do not acknowledge as having any useful financial wisdom beyond the skill of good birth).